The Ultimate Guide to Hiking the Four Pass Loop from Crested Butte

Summers in Colorado are every outdoor lover’s wildest dreams. They take you back to center. They connect you with yourself and make you realize how essential mother nature is for the human soul.

We wait patiently as we transition from one season to the next as she slowly makes her gorgeous arrival again and every time she far exceeds our expectations.

Each year we’re reminded just how beautiful and absolutely epic these summers are.

So… how do we go out and fully embrace it?

The answer to that is easy, get outdoors. Get yourself on those trails, fully embraced in nature.

But what if you were to take that to a whole other level? Impossible, you might say.

Wrong.

That other level is a thing and it’s called the Four Pass Loop.

The Four Pass Loop is a 30-35 mile loop, depending on how you take it and it is the epitome of a trail lover’s wildest dreams.

It’s an epic adventure awaiting you that will test your breathing capabilities, your physical and your mental state. It will make you appreciate the little things on a whole new level. It’ll make you damn grateful for your body and what it’s capable of. And it will undoubtedly far surpass any expectations or ideas you might have going into it.

This time just a few weeks ago I had reached the top of my fourth mountain pass and was on my way to completing the 4PL journey for my second summer in a row.

I am confident it won’t be my last.

I may even make it an annual tradition. I love it that much and now, have a hard time imagining a summer without that time.

So here’s a guide where I’ll share that love, share the love of what it is I find helpful to know as you’re planning this epic adventure from my experience tackling it and from a different perspective.

Beginning at the West Maroon trailhead on the Crested Butte side.

Most info you will find around this hike will guide you with a start from Aspen with additional logistics including shuttles and parking permits involved. That is not the only way to do it.

I dare say starting from Crested Butte is the ideal option, but then again, I could be biased.

Starting from Crested Butte

Both times I’ve tackled the 4PL, I’ve started my trek from the Crested Butte side. Though I haven’t done the alternative from Aspen, I’m doubtful that the route can compare. Mostly because the wildflowers.

You’ll get an exceptional wildflower factor either way, but starting from the Crested Butte side? You begin your journey with an introduction of meadow after meadow in an oasis of mountains completely covered in wildflowers. Thousands and thousands of wildflowers before you actually hit the marker where the loop begins.

It’s breathtaking.

It’s surreal.

It is mother nature putting on a show for all who decide to walk through her to see it.

I’ve never seen anything like it in my life and it’s something you simply want to include in your 4PL journey.

So, what do I mean when I refer to “the loop”? The Four Pass Loop is, in fact, an actual loop, but it starts about 3 miles – give or take – from the initial Schofield Park Trail Head/West Maroon Pass Trail Head.

The start of the loop is well marked. Follow the signs to West Maroon Trail.

Stay a night in Crested Butte

I live in Colorado Springs, which is about 3.5 hours away from Crested Butte. With that being the case, we drove out on a Thursday evening after work, arrived the night before, and stayed in the cheapest accommodation we could find with plans to head out to the trailhead the next morning.

Head’s up for you other frugal like-minded folks out there, staying in Crested Butte is wildly expensive. I’m talking a decent one-bedroom condo, suitable for four people for $446+ for one-night kind of wildly expensive, with that being the cheapest option we could find.

Take into consideration though that this will be the biggest expense you’ll have for the whole weekend. Ideally, you’ll want to have a bed to sleep in and to do any last-minute prep the night before you start your trek.

Trust me, it’s worth every penny.

Crested Butte isn’t a big town, so you’ll likely find a place to stay within about 45 minutes to get to the trailhead. The distance from CB to the trailhead is less than 25 miles, but it’s mostly unpaved and you’ve got to go slow. Be nice to your car that’s getting you there! Like with most similar mountain roads in Colorado that just means your mileage is about doubled as far as time goes.

Getting to the Schofield Pass aka West Maroon Trailhead

The road to get to the West Maroon Trailhead is bumpy.

There are surely some side roads where you would need 4WD, but if you’re going straight to this trailhead – 4WD is not required.

Just pace yourself and go slow. You’ll be in for a bumpy ride, but you’ll manage just fine if you’re comfortable driving on unpaved mountain roads.

Rock that mountain driver confidence we all know you have in you!

Have your maps app take you directly to the West Maroon Trailhead. It’s one single road and you’ll essentially take it to the very end. You can’t miss it.

Parking is Free

Once you make it to the end of the road where the trailhead begins, there’s a fairly large-sized lot for parking. Most people parking in the area will be there just for the day and because of the bumpy, unpaved road it takes to get you there it’s clear that this limits the number of people taking this route.

Parking in itself shouldn’t be a challenge.

You can also park your car in this lot free of charge for the weekend as you tackle the loop.

You do NOT Need to Reserve a Permit in Advance

As of July 2022, you do not need to register for a permit before tackling the Four Pass Loop. At the start of the trailhead, you’ll need to fill out a quick form with your information which is essentially your permit.

After that, you’re ready to start the journey!

This summer and last, we arrived at the trailhead between 9:30-10 am and there was plenty of room for parking available. Arriving at that time also gave us plenty of time to cover ground and our first mountain pass on the first day.

Take the “Tackling One Mountain Pass a Day” Approach

It will blow your mind to see people running up and down these mountain passes. I call them super humans. Otherwise, you’re most likely in it for the adventure and carrying 30+ pounds on your back as you do it, so running will not be on the itinerary.

We tackled the hike by hiking up and down one mountain pass a day. We did come across other hikers who were doing two passes a day, so it’s really personal preference. I will say that I would highly recommend giving yourself three days and four nights to complete the loop.

This will give you plenty of time to tackle one mountain pass each day and take stops to enjoy the beauty along the way.

The four mountain passes in order when starting from Crested Butte are:

• West Maroon Pass (12,465′)
• Buckskin Pass (12,462′)
• Trail Rider Pass (12,415′)
• Frigid Air Pass (12,405′)

Here’s a nice visual map of the loop. The trail is well marked, but I’d still recommend taking a printout of this with you for reference. Looking for a more technical map? Check this one out.

Camping Along the Route is Easy

There are designated camping spots along the route and they’ll be pretty recognizable as you venture on. They are generally areas that have been cleared to a certain extent. With that said, don’t be expecting anything fancy, or even well marked.

No worries, you’ll figure it out pretty quickly when you’re approaching camping areas.

You’ll either see people who can help guide the way, or you’ll simply see an area that looks perfectly fitting for your tent and – if you’re lucky – a nice log or two to sit on.

Make sure you find a camping spot near running water. This is essential to making sure you have enough to cook with, drink, and brush your teeth with for the evening once you’ve set up camp.

It’s a good idea to find a spot not long after you get to the bottom of each mountain pass, especially if you’ve only got a few hours left of sunlight. It’s much more enjoyable to be able to set up camp, chill a bit, and cook while there is still light out.

Best Time for Wildflowers?

JULY is absolutely epic for the wildflowers. Absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous – everything you could ever dream of and more – wildflowers. You’ll run into thousands of them covering the mountains for miles of the journey.

The first time I took on 4PL I went fourth of July weekend and this most recent time we went the weekend of July 15th. Both weekends were at their peak with the wildflowers.

I’d highly recommend going this time of year!

The Ultimate Backpacking List

I have a saved backpacking list in my personal archives now. You can check that out here. This includes literally every item I had on my possession.

Remember that when you’re packing, less is more. You’ll likely want to place everything you have out in front of you and do what you can to take out any nonessential items. Your back and your body will thank you later.

Remember that with food, anything you pack in you’re going to have to pack it out. Take this into consideration when you’re planning your food items. Less is always more in the backcountry.

We’ve got to protect our perfect mother earth, ya’ll!

Be Kind to Mother Nature.

There’s a whole post for this. I’ll get back to you on this one soon. But until then…

Be kind to her.

Pack it in, pack it out.

Make it an Epic (Food) Ending

You’ll be running off cliff bars, trail mix, and dehydrated food for days. If you’re anything like me, those last few hours on the trail you won’t be able to refrain from not thinking about what delicious food you’re going to put into your mouth next.

If you love pizza don’t miss a stop at Secret Stash Pizza – Best Pizza in Crested Butte and the WORLD before making the trek back home.

The pizza is bomb, you can sit outside on their pretty sweet patio – because we know you’ll not be smelling your finest – and they have a wide variety of options for our vegan friends too!

Whether you’re a skilled backcountry hiker, or this is the first you’ll tackle it is an absolute MUST to add to your list. It’ll make you laugh, cry, question the shape you’re in, and create a new bond with your body and your mind for being strong enough to walk your ass physically, mentally, and emotionally up and down four mountain passes in four days.

And if you’re like me, it will be one of the most rewarding adventures of your life.

“Hiking is not escapism; it’s realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything; we are returning to where we belong” – Jennifer Pharr Davis

Still have questions? Hit me with those and I’ll do my best to answer them for you!